February 21, 2020: Bryant’s Turn

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Why not? The Cubs haven’t had a prototypical lead off hitter since the departure of Dexter Fowler after the drought ending Game 7 victory over the Indians. Schwarber didn’t work out; Rizzo has done well, but that doesn’t make much sense. I had hoped Almora would grow into that role… maybe Happ; that didn’t last long. It’s been the revolving door at the top of the lineup, and although I like mixing things up, I think there is something to be said for some consistency in the lineup, and that starts at the top. Now, it’s Bryant’s turn.

My first reaction is that KB should be hitting 3 or 4, however, he was moved up to the 2 slot… and if that was done, then what’s the big deal about bumping him up one more? Some say KB isn’t good under pressure, and hitting leadoff brings some level of pressure. First off, don’t agree with the whole KB is not clutch stuff; secondly, I think this extra “pressure” every game will be good for him. Yeah, but his RBIs will take a hit… maybe. But like Joe always used to say, you’re only really hitting lead off for the first inning. Plus, to get one of your best hitters more ABs can’t be a bad thing. Sure, you need lineup balance, but maybe getting KB that extra at bat by batting him leadoff, would be worth it, right?

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But what about the first inning… KB has a great eye at the plate number one; this will only make him zone in on that more. The only problem is that sometimes KB knows the strike zone better than the umpires. Yes, there are some times when he takes a pitch too close; that’ll happen. I’d like to see him turn it loose on those close ones, but getting on base is key. A walk is as good as a hit type stuff. And when he gets on base, who is a better base runner than Kris? Sure, Javy immediately comes to mind; although he is faster, he takes a lot more risks. Those risks sometimes turn into highlight type plays… more than not actually… but sometimes they turn into easy outs. I love Javy and his aggressiveness, but if I’m looking for the best overall base runner on the team, I’m looking at KB. Speaking of that Game 7, how about the plays he made on the base paths then? Scoring on the short sac fly. Going from 1st to home on that short Rizzo double. Those are just a couple examples, but he does that stuff all the time, and rarely seems to make an out on the base paths. I’m sure there are stats that can prove that out. Having the antelope/gazelle that is KB on the base paths in that first inning, possibly helping give the Cubs that early lead…. yeah, I’ll take that.

I’m glad Ross got that suspense out of the way early. No back and forth, wondering who that will be. Put it out there, set the expectations, let everybody get prepared. And leave him there… doesn’t have to be all year, but give him a chance to settle in and be successful. And then pick 2-3-4 and settle on that as well. Love Joe, but some lineup consistency could be helpful in my opinion. Baseball is almost here…. Go Cubs!

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